SPRINGFIELD – After months of discussions resulting in compromise to all sides, a measure sponsored in the Senate by Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) tightening up vaccination laws in relation to schools has passed. The Senator had the following to say upon the passage of the legislation:

“As a general rule, children should be immunized. The key to this legislation and the discussions that have surrounded it has been about balancing individual religious freedom with public safety. That has been goal number 1. Under this proposal, the two existing exemptions remain - the medical exemption because it is clear that not all children are capable of receiving these immunizations, and the religious exemption. For the latter, we simply wanted to ensure that for individuals seeking the religious exemption that they speak with their doctor and discuss the risks involved with not immunizing. We worked long and hard with hundreds of opponents to the original legislation, and I truly believe we reached an acceptable compromise.”

Under the amended measure, the schedule with which the doctor visits for immunization exemptions would remain consistent with the current schedule for physical examinations.

SPRINGFIELD – For those born between the years of 1945 and 1965, doctors will be required to offer Hepatitis C screenings to patients under a new proposal from Senator John Mulroe (D-CHICAGO). The measure passed the Senate today.

“Hepatitis C is known as the silent killer because, most often, by the time a patient is diagnosed, the disease has already done widespread damage,” Mulroe said. “By requiring this screening, we are able to spare compounded illness and pain to those people who may have the disease but don’t know it.”

Patients born between 1945 and 1965, also known as baby boomers, are at the most risk for contracting Hepatitis C. Due to the long maturation period of the disease, symptoms, complications and an affirmative diagnosis are often not seen in people until they have been living with Hepatitis C for 20 years or longer.

Under the plan, if a patient in this age range asks for the test, doctors would be required to include it as part of the normal blood testing that occurs with routine physical exams. Doctor would also be obligated to ask patients in the at-risk age range if they would like such testing done.

While the baby boomer generation is most at-risk of having contracted Hepatitis C, within that group, individuals who may have had blood transfusions or healthcare and emergency workers who may have come into contact with accidental needle pricks are at a high risk of contraction. Illinois would become the second state to have legislation like this after New York, and the proposal would also mandate IDPH to develop a public health campaign to raise awareness about the disease.

“The human cost of a disease like Hepatitis C is immeasurable but if there is any way to reduce that then it is our duty to pursue those paths,” Mulroe said. “This legislation will save lives through screenings and sharing the knowledge of this disease. Hopefully through mandating these screenings we will be able to save these people and their families time, heartache and money.”

Senate Bill 661 passed by a 33 to 19 vote and will be now be heard by the House.

SPRINGFIELD – Municipal police stations and county sheriff’s offices will soon be equipped with AED (automated external defibrillator) machines thanks to a new measure sponsored in the Senate by Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago).

“AED’s are proven to save lives when used in emergency situations,” Sen. Mulroe said. “The fact that even a small percentage of police and sheriff’s offices do not have these machines is cause for alarm and this plan seeks to change that.”

Police officers are often placed in intense situations within seconds causing extreme stress on their bodies and health. Officers have died as a result. The AED will save police officers and others that may be at the police station.

The proposal will affect only those facilities with 100 or more employees. Under the original AED Act, county sheriffs and municipal police departments are exempt from civil liability.

“This is a very common-sense plan that seeks to empower, equip and protect those who we task with serving and protecting us with the knowledge and tools they need to protect each other and others,” Mulroe said.

Following passage by the Senate by a 51 to 0 vote Tuesday, the proposal now goes to the House.

SPRINGFIELD - Seventy years ago on August 14, Emperor Hirohito accepted the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation effectively ending the four year engagement of the United States of America in World War II. While we formally recognize September 2 as the day the Japanese delegation attended the formal surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in the Tokyo harbor, Senator John Mulroe (D-CHICAGO) has sponsored a resolution that would mark the third Saturday of every August as “Spirit of ’45 Day.” Illinois becomes the second state to recognize this date and mark it as a holiday.

Senator Mulroe released the following statement regarding the resolution:

“The final days of World War II were marked with some incredibly trying times, from the deaths of President Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler to the first military use of nuclear weapons in history. The American people had sacrificed everything in a war that our country had not intended to become involved in. With the passage of this resolution we are able to in some small way honor the men and women who gave their blood, sweat and tears during the brief but arduous time of our military involvement. With the “Spirit of ’45 Day,” Illinoisans are reminded of those sacrifices as we remember and give thanks to the memory and spirit of those times.”